Thank you for your service in the coal war

I’m sure we all, as residents of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, have good reason to celebrate after hearing the news that President Barack Obama’s “war on coal” is over. Personally, I am glad that our troops can return home to look forward to baseball, apple pie and a well-deserved rest. I look forward to the day when the economic war on coal is over too.

I have to wonder how that war is going to end. Are the coal executives going to come up with some new plans to mistreat our miners or rape the land in order to combat the cost disadvantages of coal compared to natural gas and renewables, thus providing more profits to line the pockets of lobbyists and politicians? Or, are those dastardly other sources of energy going to artificially raise their rates to meet the cost of coal, and use the windfall profits to line the pockets of lobbyists and politicians?

We have to wait to see. Now that the battle has been won, perhaps we can start a new war to direct the troops toward building modern job opportunities for those Appalachian mining communities where all gave some, and some gave all.

Jim Brutsman

Cynthiana

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